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Category Director - Bats

Top Management

Roles and Responsibilities
* Define and capture plans for all bat categories in-line with company business goals and objectives
* Own and define a clear yearly line plan that's driven by the business plan
* Define and own a 3-year plan for all bat categories. Focusing on short term & long-term objectives with cross-functional teams
* Define specific needs and goals for the bat business - then work with cross-functional teams (Sales, Marketing, Design, Engineering, Manufacturing) to deliver on those needs and goals
* A deep understanding of the certification process for all bat categories. Own the relationship with all the governing bodies in baseball/softball, such as USA Baseball.
* Attend necessary industry meetings to have a full understanding of any rule changes and the certification needs for all bat categories
* Set clear benchmarks within each bat category. Understand the competitive landscape.
* Perform market research and market validation studies with Athletes, Consumers and Sales Channels
* Work with engineering team to establish and drive internal product testing protocols on Field and in Lab.
* Own the relationship and lines of communication with bat vendors
* Drive cost improvement initiatives to deliver products on target, or better
* Create captivating, informative, clear presentations of the product line
* Present the product line to internal teams, International Sales Team and to Key Accounts
* Understand the needs of the category by connecting with various perspectives - Understand Sales needs, Planning needs, R&D capability, Manufacturing capability, schedules etc.
* Drive product innovation and "Best in class" thinking
* Be in the know on new material research, costing, materials, QC implementation, and product development.
* Lead, manage and drive all aspects of meeting organization, communication, decision making, and information pertaining to projects, including project planning, BOM management, data integrity, and involvement of functional team members.

Roles and Responsibilities
* Analyze and communicate point of sale data weekly to uncover opportunities for the company and customer.
? Including top selling SKUs, trends, opportunity gap, inventory shortages or overages, etc.
? Customer's associated with: Dick's Sporting Goods, Academy Sporting Goods, Modell's Sporting Goods, Target, Hibbett Sporting Goods, Walmart, Big 5 Sporting Goods, etc.
* Analyze customer assortment performance at the tier level to make recommendations for expansion based on historical sales data.
* Provide sales team with category metrics and fact-based selling stories as needed for upcoming customer presentations.
* On-going ad-hoc special projects: monitor and track sales for United Sports Brands Initiatives to find success stories to present to other customers to drive business in new avenues.
* Contribute to the finalization of the yearly budgeting process, from start to finish, between Finance and Sales.
* Model and analyze company and customer margin by category based on projected sales scenarios.

Senior Sales Analyst

John Loeffler is a Category Director - Bats at Rawlings Sporting Goods, Easton Diamond Sports, Miken Sports, Worth Sporting Goods in Thousand Oaks, CA.

John Loeffler

John Loeffler

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Education history

Valparaiso University